


First Day Of...

by julia_wicker_the_goddess



Category: Alexa & Katie (TV)
Genre: Cancer diagnosis, Hurt/Comfort, Leukemia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:26:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24761530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julia_wicker_the_goddess/pseuds/julia_wicker_the_goddess
Summary: Alexa has been feeling sick for weeks. When her mom takes her to the doctor, will she be okay or is there something serious going on?
Comments: 9
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this a while back and then deleted, now am reposting.

Alexa has been feeling tired for weeks. She thought it was just the end of the school year getting her down, but now it’s a week and a half after school is over and she’s still feeling crummy. And all these darn bruises aren’t making it any easier. It seems like they come out of nowhere. Her mom has noticed how she’s been feeling, but Alexa hasn’t shown her the bruises. She doesn’t want to freak her out. Or do anything to jeopardize basketball camp this summer. 

Katie comes over one afternoon to find Alexa napping in bed.

“What are you, 90?”

“Ughhh.” Alexa groans.

“Are you  _ still  _ sick?”

“Apparently. My mom thinks it’s mono, but I haven’t kissed anyone! We’ll find out this afternoon. I’m going to the doctor.”

“Huh. So, wanna go shopping?”

“Did you not hear the part where I’m sick?”

“Oh yeah. Wanna… hang out in your bed and pretend to listen to me freak out about high school?”

“Always.”

Katie’s starting to get worried about Alexa. She’s been on vacation for the past two weeks, and Alexa’s texts hadn’t exactly been honest about how she was doing. Now that she’s seen Alexa, Katie is concerned. Her friend is too pale and too skinny. Katie notices her wince when she moves. Something is definitely wrong. 

____________________________________________________________________________

  
  


The doctor’s appointment goes fine. They take her temperature and she’s got a fever; she’s had one off and on since the last week of school. She asks if Alexa’s had any other symptoms and she reluctantly shows her the bruises.

“Alexa, where did those come from?” Lori Mendoza asks, worried. 

“I don’t know. They’ve just been showing up at random. I swear I’m not in a fight club or anything.”

The doctor nods and types something in the computer. She says that they’ll need to take her blood and she’ll call about the blood results. There’s no mention of what she thinks it might be.

Alexa gets home and is utterly exhausted. She goes straight to her room and naps till dinner. Her mom comes up to check on her at 7pm.

“Honey, you okay?”

“Just tired.”

“I’m worried about you.”

“Well, hopefully the doctor will give me some medicine that’ll make me feel better.”

“Yeah.” Lori runs her hand through her daughter’s hair. “Dinner’s ready. Are you hungry?”

“Um… not really.” She admits.

“Just try a little? I made mac n cheese.”

Alexa nods. “Okay.”

__________________________________________________________________________

The next afternoon, the doctor calls Lori.

“Hi Mrs. Mendoza, this is Dr. Mitchel.”

“Hi.”

“We got some of Alexa’s blood results back and we’d like to have her come in for additional tests.”

“What kind of tests?”

“Well, Alexa had low levels of red blood cells and platelets and high levels of white blood cells. There are certain illnesses that we suspect when we see this, but we can’t be certain unless we take a bone marrow biopsy.”

“Wait, bone marrow?”

“Yes.”

Lori sits down. “Are you… are you saying Alexa might have cancer?”

“That is one possibility. There are other illnesses that are possibilities. When we see these kind of blood counts, we know that her immune system is being affected. As I said, we really won’t know until we get a bone marrow biopsy.”

“Okay. Can I set up an appointment now?”

“Of course. We’re going to try to get you in as soon as possible.”

  
  


They set up the appointment and hang up. Lori puts her head in her hands. Her daughter could have cancer. She gathers herself, then goes up to talk with Alexa. Knocking on the door, she enters. Alexa is in bed. Lori has gotten too used to seeing her daughter there in the past several weeks. 

“Hey honey.”

“Hey.”

“I just got off the phone with the doctor.”

“Really? Is it mono?”

“They’re not sure yet. They want to run some more tests.”

“I’m going to be okay, right?”

“Yes. You’ll be okay.”

  
  


__________________________________________________________________________

Two days later, Lori brings Alexa in for the bone marrow biopsy. She had mentioned that the tests might be a little more intense than the last time, but when Alexa finds out there’s a large needle involved, she locks herself in the office bathroom.

“Alexa? Honey, it’s time to come out.” Lori calls from outside.

“No way. There’s no way that needle is coming anywhere near me!”

“Hon, we need to figure out what’s going on.”

“It’s not that bad. I’ll deal with it. Please don’t make me!”

“Sweetie, they think you might have cancer.”

“What?”

“You might have cancer. I didn’t want to worry you because it could be something less serious, but you could get even sicker… you could--” She cuts herself off.

Alexa opens the door. “--Die. I could die.”

Lori starts crying and hugs Alexa tightly. “I’ll be right here, okay? No matter what, I’ll be right here with you.”

“Okay.”

Alexa changes into the hospital gown and Lori holds her hand tightly as the nurse arranges things for the biopsy. The doctor comes in and they do the biopsy from her pelvis. It’s a horrible feeling, like everything is being sucked out of her. She whimpers and her mother holds her hand tighter, whispering comfort into her ear. When it’s over, there’s definitely some soreness. Her mom supports her on the way to the car and when she gets home she lays straight down on the couch.

“You doing okay, Alexa?”

“Yeah. Just… Can we not talk to Katie or her mom about this till we know for sure?”

“Of course.”

_________________________________________________________________________

Katie comes over the next day and asks Alexa about the doctor’s appointment.

“We’re still not sure exactly what’s going on. We’ll hear in the next few days.”

“Huh. Alright, do you wanna go see a movie tonight?”

“I’m not really up for it.”

“Alexa, I’m worried about you.”

“That’s what my mom keeps saying.”

“You’re just not acting like yourself.”

“Maybe we could watch a movie here instead?”

“Yeah, I guess. Just… Let me know if I can do anything for you, okay?”

“Yeah.” She winces as she adjusts her body to reach for her laptop. They browse Netflix till they find something interesting and mostly stay silent as they watch Gilmore Girls late into the evening.

_______________________________________________________________________

Four days later, they’re back at the doctor’s office. 

“Alexa, how are you feeling?” Dr. Mitchel asks as she walks in. 

“Kinda nervous.”

“That’s understandable. We got your biopsy back.”

“And?”

“Alexa, your bone marrow biopsy came back abnormal. We believe you have leukemia.”

“That’s cancer.” Alexa says, in a half-statement, half-question.

“Yes it is. I’m referring you to my colleague Dr. Foster at Children’s Hospital. She’s an oncologist; a cancer doctor. We’d like to admit you to the hospital today to start treatment.”

“Today?” Lori asks. 

“Yes. It’s important that we start fighting it as soon as possible. That gives Alexa the best chance of being healthy again.”

“What should we bring? How long will she be there?”

“I’m not sure how long she’ll be there. I’d bring some comfortable clothing, toiletries, and some things that’ll remind her of home.”

Alexa hasn’t spoken since she realized she has cancer. 

“Alexa, do you have any questions?” Dr. Mitchel asks.

She shakes her head.

“I realize that this is a lot to handle. Children’s Hospital has counselors who work with families and might be a good resource for you.”

She nods, barely hearing what the doctor is saying.

“Alright, we’ll go home and pack up, then head over to Children’s Hospital,” Lori says. She’s got her “get business done” voice on. 

“Okay. Please call me with any questions or concerns. I’ll be checking in with you about Alexa’s treatment.”

They go home and Alexa is silent throughout the ride. Meanwhile, Lori is making a verbal packing list.

“We should bring plenty of sweatpants. And some blankets. I know they have blankets at the hospital, but they might not be very soft.” She’s been going on for twenty minutes, when Alexa finally speaks up.

“Mom!”

“What?”

“I’m going to the hospital, not summer camp.”

“I know.”

“I don’t want to talk about packing.”

“Okay.”

They’re quiet until Lori pulls into the driveway. Neither moves to get out of the car.

“Mom?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m scared.”

Lori reaches and pulls Alexa in for a hug. 

“We just have to do one thing at a time. The first thing we have to do is pack. I can do it, if you want to rest.”

Alexa nods, and both of them exit the car and go into the house, feeling like different people than when they had left.


	2. Author Note

Whoops! I accidentally uploaded a chapter for a different story to this one, so if you read that, my apologies!


	3. Chapter 3

Alexa is trying to be brave. Her mom looks like she’s about to have a nervous breakdown and her dad hasn’t said a word since her mom told him. Her brother is at sports camp, so he doesn’t know yet. And Alexa is about to get a ton of blood taken. She’s sure it’s nowhere as bad as the bone marrow biopsy she had done a few days ago. But her legs feel jumpy and ready to run away. When she had gotten to the hospital, her mom had filled out about 3 dictionaries worth of documents and then a nurse had brought them up to the cancer wing of the hospital. She had shown Alexa her room and asked her to change into a hospital gown because they’d be doing some more tests. Finally, a doctor comes to meet her.

“Hi Alexa, I’m Dr. Breitwieser.”

“Dr. Whosy whatsit?”

“Breitwieser.”

“Huh. Okay, I think I’ll call you Brett.”

“Fine by me.”

“I’m Lori, her mother, who taught her better manners.” She says pointedly.

Dr. Breitwieser just chuckles. “All of my patients are kids, so I get lots of interesting nicknames. Anyway, I’m here to discuss your treatment with you and your mom, Alexa.”

“Okay.”

“I know this is all very new and sudden, but my guess is you’ve been feeling crummy for a while.”

She nods. “Yeah.”

“Unfortunately, the nature of the treatment for cancer means that you’re going to feel worse before you feel better.”

“Oh.”

“We do something called chemotherapy as a first option for treatment. It usually does a really nice job of killing off all of the cancer cells in your body. The problem is, it can do damage on some other parts of you too. It will have an effect on your immune system, which is what keeps you from getting sick. That means you’ll have to be careful not to get sick, because your body won’t be able to fight it off very easily.”

“Okay.”

“Another thing that sometimes happens is that chemo can make you throw up. It’s a short-term side effect, but it’s a pretty common one. You’ll probably be feeling pretty sick for a while because of the chemo. Another one that you should definitely know about is that chemo in addition to killing off cancer, also kills off hair cells.”

“What does that mean?”

“That means at some point during your treatment, your hair is going to start falling out.”

She subconsciously reaches to touch her hair. 

“I’m not going to lie to you; cancer isn’t easy or fun. But you have a very good shot at being healthy again soon. Your kind of cancer is very treatable. And my hope is to get you back to school in the fall if things go the way they often do with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.”

  
  


“Okay Alexa, it’s time for us to insert your port. We’re going to take you down to radiology to do it.” 

The doctor had already explained that a port was like an IV, but could be used longer. It would be tubing inserted under the skin that the medical staff could access with a needle. Luckily, they numbed her for the insertion and put her under conscious sedation so she doesn’t remember much of the procedure. 

  
  
  


That night, after Alexa has gone through a dizzying number of tests and scans, Jenny, her night nurse, brings in Alexa’s first dose of medicine. She puts numbing cream on Alexa’s new port site and waits for it to work, then puts out a sterile sheet and the supplies for accessing the port. Alexa is incredibly nervous, but the numbing cream does its job and she doesn’t feel the needle go in at all. The nurse flushed the line and it’s so weird to feel it going into her chest. 

“Alright, I’m going to get this running. I assume your doctor talked with you about some of the side effects?”

She nods. 

The nurse hangs up a bag of fluid on the IV pole and connects the tubing to Alexa’s port. It looks harmless enough. Alexa manages a small smile.

“I need to go check on some other patients. If you need anything, you just press the call button on your bed remote there.”

“Okay.”

“How are you feeling, honey?” Lori asks.

She shrugs. “Okay I guess. Kinda tired.”

“You wanna go to bed?”

“Yeah, I think so.” She goes to the bathroom, dragging the IV pole along, and brushes her teeth and washes her face, then crawls into bed. It’s hard trying to find a comfortable position with the port still painful. She usually sleeps resting on the side that the port is, but now she has to sleep on her back. 

  
  


Sometime in the middle of the night, she stirs. Before she’s even fully awake, she feels saliva pooling in her mouth and her tongue feels stiff. She rolls so she can lean off the side of the bed to throw up. Someone puts a trash can under her and is rubbing her back. She assumes it’s her mom. It’s a long time before she can finally lift her head. 

“Oh sweetie.” Her mom says softly, running her hand through Alexa’s hair; the hair that will fall out sometime soon. That thought makes tears well up in Alexa’s eyes.

“Shhh, I’m right here.”

“I don’t feel good.”

“I know.”

A nursing assistant comes to clean the floor and Lori helps Alexa change into a new gown since hers is damp with sweat and tears. A few hours later, the whole thing starts over again with Alexa throwing up.

  
  


By mid-morning Alexa is exhausted, but has finally stopped throwing up. She’s dozing as her mom watches the morning show when someone knocks on the door.

“Hi Alexa, I’m Cindy, the child life specialist. I’m the person that makes sure you still get to be a kid even though you’re in the hospital.”

“Hi.” She murmurs.

“I heard you had kind of a rough night.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“Sorry to hear that. How are you feeling now?”

“So, so tired.”

“Well, you definitely need plenty of rest. If you’re up for it, we’re having a board game party this afternoon in the lounge.”

“Yeah maybe.” She says, yawning.

Her phone lights up with another text from Katie. It’s the 14th she’s gotten since she went to the doctor yesterday.

**KT: Alexaaaaa taaaalk toooo meeee.**

She glances over to her mom nervously.

“What is it, honey?”

“Katie texted again.”

Lori nods.

“Should tell her?”

“She’s your best friend. I think she’ll be worried for you when she finds out, but I think she’s already worried.”

“Yeah…” She goes to Katie’s contact information on her phone and her thumb hovers over the call button. Her mom nods, and she presses it and winces as she puts the phone up to her ear.

“ALEXA! You’re alive! I thought you were dead. Or had moved. Or--”

“Katie…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Um… Katie, I’m in the hospital.”

“What?”

“I came here last night. I’m sick.”

“Yeah, you’ve been sick for a while. Do they know what it is?”

“Yeah. Katie, I have cancer.”

There’s silence on the other line.

“Katie?”

“I’m coming. Where are you? Text my mom the details. I’m coming.”

Less than an hour later, Katie comes in at full speed but stops abruptly at seeing Alexa’s wilted form. It’s only been a couple of days since they’ve seen each other, but Katie can see the exhaustion and worry in Alexa’s face.

“Alexa… Hey.”

“Hi.”

“So… how bad is it?”

“The doctor said they caught it early. I’m going to have to have treatment this summer and I might not be feeling very good. But they’re pretty sure I’ll be healthy enough to go to school this fall.”

“So you’re not dying?”

“No, I’m not dying.”

“Good.” She reaches to hug Alexa but ends up tangled in tubing before she gets there.

“What is that,” She asks, noticing the tubing going to the needle on her chest. 

“It’s a port. It’s like an IV, but it can handle more. They have to give me a lot of medicine, so this is the best way to do it.”

Katie nods, staring nervously at her friend’s chest.

“Alexa, I’m scared for you, but I want to help you however I can.”

“All I need is for you to treat me normally.”

“Okay.” She reaches in this time for a real hug.

Cindy comes in a bit later that afternoon.

“Alexa, we’re having that board game party if you’re up for it.”

“I want to, but every time I stand up, the room spins.”

“Well, that’s the benefit of being in a hospital. We have resources.”

They transfer her to a wheelchair and bring her over to the room where several other kids are gathered. Three of them are bald and it makes Alexa’s stomach flip flop. One girl is slumped in her wheelchair, pale and barely responsive.  _ Is that how she’ll be soon?  _ But the other kids are enthusiastically trying to help one girl guess the item on her Headbanz card, and Alexa is reassured by their smiles as they welcome her. She ends up staying for the whole party, and when a nursing assistant brings her back to her room, things don’t feel so bleak. 

  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why Alexa's mom is always worried about her getting too tired.

Alexa has been in the hospital for 2 weeks. She’s gotten into a rhythm with how she deals with the side effects of chemo and she’s making friends in the oncology ward. Although she still gets tired and nauseated from the chemo, things don’t feel quite so scary.

Her doctor comes in that morning with a big grin on his face.

“Alexa, I have good news. You can go home tomorrow.”

“Yes!” Alexa dances a bit in bed, then promptly stops when the room starts spinning. 

“Now I need you to take it easy. No running around, no strenuous activity. I also need you to make sure you’re washing your hands and staying away from anyone sick. Your immune system isn’t working very well right now, and you could easily get very sick.”

“Got it.”

“If you get a fever or any other signs of being sick, I want you to come to the ER.”

She nods.

“Alright, I will plan to see you back here in two weeks for your next round of chemo.”

“Thanks Dr. Brett.”

“Of course.”

  
  


The next morning by 10am, Alexa has packed her bags and is saying goodbye to the nurses and patients. She’s so happy to be back in her old bed, but things feel off. For some odd reason she’d thought she wouldn’t feel sick when she got home, but instead she feels just as dizzy and tired as she had in the hospital. 

That night, Alexa can’t sleep and she’s not exactly sure why. All she knows is something feels off. The next day, Lori comes in with a tray.

“Hi sweetie, sorry to wake you, but I have breakfast.”

“What time is it?”

“11.”

“Geez.”

“I bet you’re happy you’re not being woken up at 5am for vitals anymore.” 

“Yeah.”

“I’ve got oatmeal, toast, and juice.”

“Oh…”

“Are you nauseous?”

“Yep.”

“Do you want to take some Zofran?”

She sighs. “I guess. I think their tagline is, ‘you can’t be nauseous if you’re asleep.’”

“Still. You’ve got to keep up your strength.”

Alexa nods and instantly regrets it when the world seems to tilt.

  
  


The next six weeks consist of laying in bed as the world passes her by. Katie visits, her brother puts forth half-hearted efforts at annoying her, and her parents hover. She lays in bed and forces herself to eat, and tries to limit how much she throws up. She goes to the hospital two more times, both for chemo, and by the beginning of August, she’s utterly bored of sitting around. 

She’s a week out of her latest round of chemo, so she’s starting to feel decent again. She’s lost weight over the summer, the product of too much nausea. Alexa is tired all day, but she pushes through and doesn’t mention it. She mostly just watches movies and unsuccessfully tries to nap. It still feels weird; on a normal summer day, she’d be shooting hoops, wandering the mall, or scheming with Katie. These days, she’s often too tired to get out of bed to get a drink of water. Lucas comes into her room at 2 in the afternoon, yawning.

“Hey Alexa.”

“Hey. Did you just wake up?”

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s like, almost time to sleep again.”

“Well, then I’m caught up for tomorrow.”

She scoffs, and he starts walking to the kitchen.

“Heyyyy Lucas?” She says in a sappy voice.

“What?”

“Could you get me a glass of water while you’re over there?”

“Get it yourself, lazy bones,” he says and almost leaves it at that. All of a sudden he turns around. “Wait, are you being lazy or not feeling good?”

She sets her jaw and sighs.

“Okay, hang on.” He goes over and gets her one, returning and handing it to her. She nods her thanks gruffly.

“Do I need to call mom?”

“Don’t you dare. I’m fine.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re concerned about me. I’m supposed to be your annoying little sister, not someone you’re concerned about.”

“Yeah.” He fakes a smile and goes back to his room.

  
  


Late that afternoon, Lori comes home and goes up to Alexa’s room.

“Hi sweetie, how are you?”

“Fine.”

“How was your day?”

“Good.”

“Have you been resting?”

“Yep.”

“Good.” Lori reaches down and hugs Alexa tightly. 

The rest of the night goes without incident. Alexa manages to act less exhausted than she is during dinner and goes to her room afterward to lay down.

The next day, Alexa feels even more run-down.

“Sweetie, I’m going grocery shopping. What do you want to eat?” Lori says in the morning, coming into Alexa’s room.

“I don’t know, whatever.”

“Is the chemo still making you nauseous? Should I get you some pedialyte?”

“No, I just don’t have much of an appetite. I’m really tired.”

“Well, that makes sense. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. Try to rest today, okay?”

Alexa nods, and when her mom leaves she goes back to sleep almost immediately.

  
  


Later in the morning, she hears a knock at her window. Alexa moans, and Katie opens the window and hops into the room.

“How’s it going?”

“Oh, I’m fine. What have you been up to?”

“Well, my mom is on this back to school reading kick after she read in one of her classes that kids who read have better social-emotional health. So I’ve been reading. She’s making me read fifty pages a day before I can get my phone.”

“Yikes.”

“Yeah. So anyway, I was thinking we could watch that new movie in the theater today.”

“Sure, sounds fun!”

“There’s actually a showing in 45 minutes. My mom can drive us. That is, if you’re up to it. I don’t know how this all works.”

“Sure, I’m up to it.” Alexa says with more confidence than she actually feels.

“Great!’

10 minutes later, Alexa has left a note for her mom and the two of them are driven to the movie theater. Alexa is feeling worse by the second, but she doesn’t want her illness to stop her from having fun, so she ignores it. When they get there, she’s so exhausted walking into the theater, she has to sit on a bench for a good ten minutes. Katie buys tickets and walks Alexa to the theater, subtly keeping an arm ready to catch her if she falls down. 

“Are you doing okay, Alexa?” Katie asks.

“Of course.”

  
  


Midway through the movie, Alexa’s teeth start chattering. She’s been cold since they started driving to the theater, but now she’s coated in a layer of sweat and it’s making her shiver.

“I-I’m g-gonna go to the bathroom,” she whispers to Katie. She shuffles to the bathroom, hunched in on herself, and barely makes it into a stall before throwing up. Finally allowing herself to realize how bad she feels, she’s getting scared. After several minutes, Alexa still can’t stop heaving, even though nothing is coming up now, and she’s too shaky and weak to get up. She reaches for her cell phone, only to realize she left it in her purse in the movie theater. This is bad. Her stomach contracts and a moan pushes its way out of her. Things get hazy for a bit.

After who knows how long, she feels a cool hand on her arm and someone’s worried voice, but she can’t seem to keep things straight. She wants to sleep. She feels herself being lifted with strong arms, and then she’s moving, and she feels so terrible all she can do is cry and moan and reach out for blessedly cool hands to put against her hot forehead. Someone puts something over her mouth and she shuts her eyes even though it’s making her head spin, and she lets herself go.


	5. Chapter 5

She’s vaguely aware of people talking near her, but can’t seem to grab onto what they’re saying. 

Her body aches and her stomach is cramping. She hears someone moaning and it takes a long time for her to realize that it’s her own voice. Someone is stroking her face and saying something in a soothing tone. She eventually goes back to sleep.

  
  
  


She wakes up again feeling rough. Her throat feels dry and her whole body aches. There are things squeezing her legs and there’s beeping that’s waking her up even though she wants to sleep. She finally opens her eyes and sees her mom asleep on a chair next to her. They’re in the hospital; she realizes that much. But they don’t appear to be in the oncology ward. Alexa has something in her nose and she reaches up to find an oxygen cannula. 

“Mom?” Her voice is hoarse and quiet, but Lori stirs and opens her eyes.

“Alexa, thank god!” She gets up and brushes her daughter’s hair back from her face. “Are you okay? What do you need?”

“Water.”

Lori brings a cup with a straw to her mouth and lets her have a few sips.

“How did I get here?”

“You and Katie went to the movies and Katie found you barely unconscious in the bathroom. She called me, then 911 and the first responders brought you here. You’re in the intensive care unit. The doctors say you have an infection. It spread to your bloodstream and made you very sick. Two nights ago, I wasn’t sure if… If you’d make it.” Lori wipes tears out of her eyes.

“Am I going to be okay?”

“Yes. Your infection is more under control right now, and they’re doing some tests to target it specifically. You’ll be in here for at least a few days, but my guess is you aren’t up to doing much anyway. How do you feel?”

“Really tired and achy.”

“Just rest, sweetheart.”

Alexa is too tired to argue and falls asleep within a few minutes.

_______________________________________________________________________

She wakes up again who-knows how much later. A nurse is changing out her IV fluids.

“It’s good to see you awake.”

“How long have I been sleeping?”

“Since this morning. It’s almost midnight.”

“Oh.”

“How do you feel about some food?”

Her stomach churns 

“Ugh.”

“Not so good?”

“No.”

“Can I get you anything else?”

“No.” 

She ends up slipping back into sleep and wakes up again with light shining in the window. Her mom working on her laptop.

“Mom?”

“Hey sweetheart,” Lori says, looking up.

“I’m so sore.”

“I’m sorry. Do you need anything?”

“Maybe some painkillers”

Just then, a doctor comes in.

“Alexa, it’s good to see you awake. How are you feeling?”

“My whole body hurts.”

“That’s to be expected. You’ve been very sick. The infection started attacking your muscles, which can cause weakness and pain. Luckily, your body is starting to recover. It’s going to take a while to regain the strength you’ve lost, but we have your infection under control. I can get you some painkillers.”

She nods gratefully. The doctor checks her breathing and looks at her hands and feet for some reason, then leaves.

  
  


“Mom, can I see Katie,” Alexa asks, yawning.

“There are no visitors other than family here in the ICU, but once you’re in a normal ward, yes. Your only job right now is to rest.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas comes to visit her at some point. He actually hugs her and his voice gets really low and she’s pretty sure he’s trying not to cry. 

“Alexa, how’re you doing?”

“Tired.”

“I could tell you weren’t feeling good that day. I shouldn’t have let you go to the movie theater.”

“It’s alright. I’ll be okay.”

He starts telling her about a video game he’s playing and she falls asleep again.

  
  
  


\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It takes another day and a half for her to be transferred to the oncology ward, where they want to keep her for observation for at least a couple more nights. Katie comes to see her as soon as visiting hours have started. She runs into the room and leaps onto the bed, giving Alexa a hug.

“Alexa, are you okay? I missed you. I was so worried. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she murmurs. She feels pretty weak and tired, but she’s happy to see Katie.

“I was so scared.”

“I know. I’m getting better, though.”

“I’m so glad. I don’t want to see you like that ever again.”

“Pretty bad, huh?”

“You were passed out in a bathroom stall soaked in sweat and puke. It was terrifying. Not to mention gross.”

“That  _ is _ gross.”

“You seem tired.”

“I am.”

“Wanna watch a movie?”

“Sure.”

They put on an old Disney movie and Alexa falls asleep in the first 20 minutes, resting her head on Katie’s shoulder. 

  
  


Alexa has physical therapy the next day. She’s still sore, as the infection had attacked her muscles, weakening them. The physical therapist has her practice walking to the end of the hall, going up a couple of stairs, and doing arm strengthening exercises with 1 lb weights. She’s shocked at how hard all of these tasks are. 

“Alexa, you could benefit from having some kind of mobility aid until you get your strength back up. Something like a cane or a rollator,” the PT suggests.

“Do I have to?”

“No. But it might keep you from getting so exhausted.”

“Honey, it might not be such a bad idea,” Lori says.

Alexa is hesitant. Cancer has already taken so much from her. At the same time, she knows that a mobility aid could make her life easier, not more limited.

“Okay. Just till I get some strength back.”

The physical therapist has a catalogue with tons of different styles and patterns. Alexa ends up picking a teal cane that she’ll be able to get before she leaves the hospital.

  
  
  
  


It takes a week before her doctors are willing to let her go home. They want her to monitor her temperature every day and above all else, rest if she feels tired. Dave and Lori drive her home and she makes her way slowly inside using her cane. The stairs up to her room take a ridiculously long time. She has to pause about every other step to catch her breath. When she finally makes it upstairs, she collapses into bed and her mom tucks her in. 

“You rest, honey. Text me if you need anything.”

Alexa mumbles her thanks and starts to doze off, grateful to be home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you like to see more stories like this or more of this story? If so, let me know in the comments below!


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